I am working on ways to help promote TeamUSA for the Battle of the Nations (which is gathering steam quite nicely, BTW. We will have over 30 fighters signed up, our first national practice is Feb 16-19 in Springfield, Il, and the event is scheduled for April 29-May 3 near Warsaw, Poland). A local fight promoter has invited me to compete in a grappling match in their next event, and I thought that it might help to promote the team if we had an armored combat match on the fight card and an exhibitor's booth to sell t-shirts etc http://www.usaknights.org .

The question is this: how many more people do you think would buy tickets to a boxing/kickboxing/grappling/sport jiu jitsu "fight night" in Long Island or Fishkill, NY if it also included a full-contact match between two armored knights with swords who will be representing the US at the Battle of the Nations this spring?

Captain Zorikh

Where in Springfield is the practice taking place?? Also why would anyone want to come to this hellhole??

The events of the national team training weekend will be in several locations:
Thrusday Feb 16, 6:00 PM diner buffet & meet & greet at Route 66 hotel & convention center

Friday, Feb 17, 10:00 AM press conference at Mayor of Springfield's Office
We will then have a "Physical fitness inventoiry" at a gym, then...
5:00 - 7:00 PM Fundraising and publicity event at Bennigan's in Springfield Hilton

I'm not sure how "open" the trainings are, but if you are interested in joining the team, advising, supporting, watching, or reporting, you can contact the team through the website at http://www.usaknights.org

It turns out that a member of the team has lots of connections in Springfield, Il. We had a press conference with the mayor this morning. Spectators are welcome at the practice in the Fairgrounds to mow, starting at 10 AM and running till 3 or 4. In the evening we may have an exhibition armored sword fighting match at a MMA tournament being held in our hotel, the Rt. 66 Motel and Convention Center.

ACOM Sports is letting me make a pitch for an exhibition bout at their Fight Night on September 29 at the Elks' Lodge in Queens. I figure the biggest target audience for more tickets will be to friends and family of the competitors (which, let's face it, at some levels of combat sports comprise a very significant proportion of tickets sold to events like this) and to the members of the renaissance faire, stage combat, and WMA crowd who want so support the sport and see how it will play in a "mainstream" martial arts environment. There may also be some folks who may not be a particular fan of wither medieval stuff or martial arts/combat sports, but when they see the two put together, will be intrigued. Sort of how "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" not only attracted kung fu movie fans and art mocvie audiences, but also people who had never seen either and wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

If enough people see it for the first time and like it, they will come back for the next show to see more.